Norrin Radd
Norrin Radd (also known as the Silver Surfer) was a Zenn-Lavian scientist and philosopher who served as a Herald of Galactus and later as a member of both the Titans Three as well as the Defenders. Biography Early life Norrin Radd was born on the planet Zenn-La, part of an extremely long-lived and technologically advanced humanoid race which had created a worldwide utopia devoid of crime, disease, hunger, poverty, and want of any kind. His father named him after revered scientist Norrin Konn, the man responsible for rising Zenn-La from barbarism to utopia. Norrin Radd's mother Elmar, ill-suited to this stifling environment, eventually killed herself. Urged on by his atypically ambitious father Jartran, Norrin was raised as a grimly intellectual youth, encouraged to seek knowledge, advancement and achievement rather than the aimless hedonism which had come to dominate Zenn-Lavian society; however, a disgraced Jartran would later commit suicide himself after he was accused of idea theft, though not before he had taken a new lover and fathered another son, Fennan, unknown to Norrin. Despite having his lifelong lover Shalla-Bal by his side, Norrin grew into a restless soul who longed for challenge and struggle, immersing himself in histories of Zenn-La's adventurous ancient past. Norrin's life changed forever when a menacing alien spacecraft pierced Zenn-La's long-neglected defense systems. Convincing a Council of Scientists member to provide him with a spaceship, Radd soon confronted the invader, Galactus, who intended to consume Zenn-La; Radd offered to become his herald and seek out new worlds for him to sate his hunger in exchange for Galactus sparing Zenn-La. Galactus agreed, transforming Radd into a silver-skinned, cosmic-powered super-being patterned after an adolescent fantasy plucked from Norrin's memories. Known thereafter as the Silver Surfer because of the silvery flying board he rode, Radd departed Zenn-La with Galactus. A New Home The Surfer served Galactus well for several decades, likely almost 100 years, enjoying exploring the wonders of the universe; however, it became increasingly difficult for Radd to find energy-rich worlds devoid of sentient life. The destruction of the first inhabited planet he offered to Galactus almost drove Norrin insane, forcing Galactus to alter the mind of his herald, submerging Radd's emotions and repressing past memories. As a result, the Surfer became much more willing to lead Galactus to inhabited worlds, such as Earth. Locating Earth despite Uatu the Watcher's covert attempts to ward him off, the Surfer caused widespread panic and fought the Fantastic Four. During this conflict, the Surfer met blind sculptress Alicia Masters, who sensed his inner nobility and pleaded with him to spare humanity. His long-dormant emotions stirred by Alicia's beauty and spirit, the Surfer turned on Galactus and helped fight him off long enough for Uatu and the Fantastic Four to secure the Ultimate Nullifier, a cosmic doomsday weapon which forced Galactus to withdraw. However, Galactus punished the Surfer by trapping him on Earth, erecting a cosmic energy barrier around the planet that was uniquely attuned to the Surfer. The Surfer became a melancholy global wanderer, trying to adjust to his new home and understand its people. After a pointless skirmish with Alicia's jealous boyfriend the Thing, the Surfer was befriended and betrayed by Latverian tyrant Doctor Doom, who imprisoned Radd and stole the Surfer's power for himself, but Doom lost his new might when he collided with Galactus's barrier, and the Surfer's powers were restored. Increasingly pessimistic about humanity, the Surfer tried to befriend fellow outcast the Hulk, but the man-monster's violent temper drove him away. Next, the Surfer took pity on the Mad Thinker's abandoned sentient computer Quasimodo and gave it humanoid form, but he was forced to petrify his new creation after it proved to be criminally insane. Convinced by now that humanity was a savage race that could only survive and evolve if the planet were united against a common foe, the Surfer decided to become that foe; he terrorized the world with his cosmic powers until the U.S. military struck him down with an experimental power-draining "Sonic Shark" missile based on technology developed by the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards. Humbled by the incident and shown the error of his ways by the FF, the Surfer resumed his peaceful wanderings. His abilities were diminished, though they gradually returned to their original power-levels. Personality and traits Relationships Family Romances Shalla-Bal Powers and Abilities Powers Thanks to Galactus, he possessed the following abilities: * The Power Cosmic: The Silver Surfer possessed the Power Cosmic, which was the core from which his other abilities manifested from. This power was granted to him by Galactus. ** Energy Absorption and Manipulation: The absorption of electromagnetic energy was the base of the Surfer's life and power. The Surfer had complete control of the four fundamental forces of the universe, reaching nearly any effect he desired. As a result, the Surfer could absorb, manipulate and discharge energy of the entire electromagnetic spectrum at incredible levels surpassing Nova with the Nova Force and Quasar, and with sufficient destructive force to destroy planets. Additional abilities included erecting force fields, phasing through solid matter, accelerating the evolution of lifeforms on a planet-wide scale, seeing the past by peeling back the layers of time, time travel, trans dimensional travel, bestowing limited cosmic powers to others, telepathically reading minds, casting illusions, and emphatically influencing human emotion and sensation. The Surfer also possessed the ability to suppress or absorb the powers of other mutants/beings, making them temporarily or permanently unable to use them, like he once did with the Hulk. He could heal living beings, even if they were near-death. He could not, however, raise the dead. ** Matter Manipulation: The Silver Surfer could rearrange matter to create other objects of importance by rearranging molecules. He could also change the state of matter, such as changing solids into gas. Transmutation helped the Surfer escape traps and prisons, and could also be used to make an enemy's weapons inactive. * Superhuman Physical Abilities: ** Superhuman Strength: The Surfer possessed enormous superhuman strength. Though the exact magnitude remained vague, he was often shown to fight evenly with people who could lift far in excess of 100 tons. He could also use the Power Cosmic to increase his strength to incalculable levels. ** Invulnerability: The Silver Surfer's silvery "skin" was designed to easily withstand the rigors of deep-space travel, and was proven to be virtually indestructible. Among things that included simple blunt force, like withstanding a punch from She-Hulk without flinching. The Silver Surfer could withstand even the most extreme conditions, like the crushing pressures of a black hole. He was not bothered by the friction associated with atmospheric re-entry, and had withstood plunges into stars and supernovas unharmed. He also routinely weathered the stresses associated with high-speed travel through space and hyperspace. ** Godlike Stamina: The Surfer's highly enhanced musculature generated no fatigue toxins, body stress, or even sweat, granting him inexhaustible physical stamina, which allowed him to fight other beings for prolonged periods of time before tiring. ** Flight Speed: The Silver Surfer was one of the fastest beings in the universe, but he was greatly outmatched by the Runner of the Elders of the Universe. The Silver Surfer could travel at speeds faster than light. His mind and body could be used at these speeds as well, making the Surfer extremely reactive and agile. ** Cosmic Senses: The Silver Surfer had certain cosmic-energy enhanced perceptions which enabled him, through concentration, to become aware of the patterns of energy anywhere in the world. These abilities allowed him far-ranging vision, the ability to see sub-atomic particles, superhuman hearing, the ability to detect fields, traces, and concentrations of pure forms of energy and discern their natures. ** Cosmic Self-Sustenance: The Silver Surfer did not need to eat or breathe since he absorbed life-maintaining cosmic energy directly through his skin. *** Immortality: Due to his ability to sustain himself, the Silver Surfer was virtually immortal. He was approximately 13.7 billion years old due to having travelled back in time to a previous incarnation of the universe and simply waiting out until the present caught up with him. Abilities Skilled scientist: As Norrin Radd, the Surfer was a scientist. Philosopher: As Norrin Radd, was a philosopher and something of a dreamer. Slight hand-to-hand training: The Surfer was only an average hand-to-hand combatant, depending almost entirely upon his cosmic powers in battle. Paraphernalia Equipment Cosmic Surfboard: When flying, the Silver Surfer used a construct which resembled an earthly surfboard. This "board" was made with the same silvery material that composed the Surfer's body, thus making the board virtually indestructible. Few forces aside from the power cosmic itself could affect it, and if it was somehow damaged, the Surfer could easily repair it in an instant. The board was psionically linked with the Surfer's mind in some unknown fashion, and it followed his commands instantly. It apparently tapped cosmic energy in much the same fashion as the Surfer himself, and although the Surfer could theoretically use the power cosmic to fly without his board, the construct enabled him to do so without expending any of his own energy. The Silver Surfer was also able to trap living matter into his Surf board for extended periods of time, or even destroy living matter within the board itself. Appearances References Category:Males Category:Zenn-Lavians Category:Scientists Category:Philosophers Category:Heralds of Galactus members Category:Defenders members Category:Titans Three members Category:Mutates Category:Teachers Category:Radd family